The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to address the lingering naira notes scarcity or embark on nationwide strike.
NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, said this at an emergency Central Working Committee meeting on Monday in Abuja.
Ajaero said that Nigerians were suffering as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless policy.
He therefore threatened to ask workers to withdraw their services across the country if the issue was not resolved in the next seven days.
According to him, first, it’s apparently difficult for us to assess the little money we have in banks and Nigerians are groaning. This is the same money they were asked to pay into the banks.
“We are also aware that it’s difficult to get Petroleum products and where you see it, a litre costs N350 in some parts of the country.We will no longer be quiet about this issue of perennial fuel scarcity and arbitrary increase in prices.
“On the issue of cash crunch, the NLC is giving the federal government, the agencies under it including the CBN and other banking institutions seven working days to address it.
“If they fail to do it at the expiration of the seven working days, the Congress is directing all workers in the country to stay at home because it has become very difficult to access even one Naira especially for traders who do not have bank accounts.
“We have also discovered that even when banks give out old currencies, it can’t be spent. Even when you take them back to the same banks, they’re not accepting them. We’ve been frustrated to a level that we can no longer keep quiet”, he said
On the ongoing State Council elections of the NLC, Ajaero said that some state governors were illegally interfering with the proceedings.
He also said: “In the last few days, you may also have noticed that the position of the Congress and state council election that is going on, the state governors now dictate to the NLC through the chairmen in those states.
“In the last delegate conference, we told you that such is a no-no in this dispensation,’ he said.
The NLC president also alleged that the Imo State Governor openly challenged that people should stick out for a particular candidate.
According to him, in our attempt as NLC to say such things do not happen in civilised societies, it was met with manhandling by the Governor of the state.
“They came to disrupt our election. Our state secretariat in Imo has been destroyed by thugs sent by the Governor.
“The thugs took over that place for three months.The state chairman was driven out of the state up till this moment,” he said.
On Security situation in the country, Ajaero said that the NLC would
hold all political gladiators responsible as the interest of the country was paramount to all.
